A new report from the UK’s Thames Estuary Growth Board has touted the untapped potential for freight deliveries on London’s primary river, the Thames. The report, Light Freight on the River Thames, claims the river can be better utilised for large-scale light freight deliveries of parcels, food, beverages, and retail goods, which in turn could ease congestion and reduce air pollution.
Commissioned by the Thames Estuary Growth Board and the Port of London Authority–and delivered by engineering consultancy WSP–the report states that at a small scale, river freight will not be feasible compared to road delivery, but that ‘handling just 3 percent of the 700 million parcels destined for London could make river freight competitive’.